Level: Human
by mosh for jesus
Summary: Leo is some how bought over as an ally to Shredder and is some how now... human? (this summary does no justace. review and be nice, cause its my first TMNT fic) **UPDATED!!**
1. Chapter I

AN: Okay, this is my first ever TMNT story, so don't laugh!! I usually just write band fics, but since that went off... oh well. Also, I've been watching TMNT lately and some ideas surfaced. Review and stuff, cause I wanna know what you think of my stuff and if I should continue to write or not!   
Oh!! I don't own, like, anything except maybe some characters that you wouldn't recognize. I do own the idea, but... that's pretty much it.   
  
Chapter I   
  
The hard crack of wood hitting shell sounded through the sewers and a figure masked in blue stumbled to the hard ground. He gripped his head and groaned slightly, confused at what had just happened. As soon as he began to question the situation, the lights flickered on and he was able to make out the setting of their own home.   
  
"Jeeze, Mikey," a familiar street sounding voice said. "That is defiantly not a cockroach."   
Leonardo struggled up with the help of his brother Raphael and looked over at Mike, who was both grinning and blushing.   
  
"My bad," he said in his normal surfer-dude tone.   
  
"Mikey, what are you doing?" Leo questioned, still gripping his throbbing head.   
  
"I'm trying to get rid of some nasty cockroaches," his brother explained, leaning on a wooden staff that clearly wasn't his. Leo frowned and glanced at Raphael, who could only shrug in return.   
  
"No offense, Mikey," he began. "But aren't cockroaches a little smaller than I am?"   
  
"You never know," Mikey said. "The could have mutated."   
Just as Mikey was explaining his reasoning for hitting his brother, Donatello walked by and grabbed the staff Mikey had been leaning on and swiftly whipped it under his feet. Mikey fell as Leo and Raphael laughed at him.   
  
"Mikey, my staff is not for cockroach extermination," Donatello lectured as Michelangelo slowly rose to his feet.   
  
"It's not for hitting your brothers with, either," Leo spoke up, though still couldn't help but smile at the fact that Mike had been knocked off his feet.   
  
"Duuudde!" Mikey whined. "These things are all over the place!"   
As the words escaped him, a cockroach scurried across the sewer floor. He let out a bloodcurdling screech and jumped up into Raphael's arms. Raphael dropped him almost instantly after he had caught him. Mikey fell to his feet, nervously dancing around.   
  
"Mikey, we live in a sewer," Don pointed out, carefully putting his staff where it belonged.   
  
"Oh yeah," Mikey said, beginning to grin. "I forgot."   
Don ignored his brother and walked over towards the computer. Leo grinned and was about to walk away with Raphael when Mikey stopped him and held out a white envelope with the name Leonardo printed across it in a bright, neon colored blue.   
  
"What's this?" he questioned. Mikey shrugged and tossed the envelope to his brother.   
  
"I donno," he admitted. "I found it and figured it was for you - how many turtles are there that are named Leonardo?"   
Leonardo frowned slightly, but realized that Mike was probably right; how many... "people" COULD be named Leonardo? He shrugged and opened the envelope, taking out a small, folded piece of paper. With his six small fingers he unfolded the paper and carefully read the message.   
  
_Leonardo,  
  
I have been watching you in your battles with you enemies, and I can't help but wonder why you still work with the other three you call brothers. I could indeed use your help in battles of my own.  
Go to the abandoned subway station at 10:00 with your response. Do not be late. I will be waiting for you.   
Everything you could have ever hopped for may be waiting in our alliance... _  
  
There was no signature at the bottom, and Leo had to read it over to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. He looked around the sewer lair: Don was messing with the computer gadgets while Mikey rode around on his skateboard. Raphael was no where to be found, but Leo's instincts told him that he was in training and didn't seek him out.   
He knew there was something wrong with the unsigned note - there was no doubt about it. There was also something compelling about it, and he found himself the victim of curiosity. He could hear Don's voice in his head as he thought about it: _"Curiosity killed the cat."_   
Shrugging, he ignored the voice and safely tucked the note away. 


	2. Chapter II

**Chapter II   
**  
Anxiously, Leo waited until his brothers and Splinter were in bed. Weather the letter brought on a trap or some one was really wanting an alliance with him, he didn't know, but was willing to find out none the less.   
Finally, close enough to ten, the restless Michelangelo retired to his own bed and Leo was given the chance to sneak out. He didn't bother with a disguise; not only was the subway abandoned, if this mystery person had seen him battle before, he was very well aware of Leo's slight abnormality.   
  
He crept silently through the darkened sewers, checking his back to make sure he had no followers. The times he thought to have had a pursuer, he touched his blades to reassure himself that he was well equipped.   
Finally, what had seemed like forever, Leo reached the porthole that led to the abandoned subway station. Hoping he wasn't late, he quickly climbed up and lifted the lid of the man hole and glanced around before climbing out entirely. It was completely abandoned, and the only light that shone was from the outside street lights and the soft glow of the moon.  
  
"Alone?" he spoke to himself. "I hope I'm not too late..."   
As the words escaped, the sound of something - or many somethings - could be heard coming from all around him. Instinctively Leo whipped out his two blades and waited for the intruders to show themselves.   
Suddenly, from nowhere yet everywhere, ninja dressed in black jumped at him from the shadows, all equipped with wooden staffs. Leo easily pushed the first two away before battling with the others. One came at him and he was pushed to the ground before another started to attack.   
  
'It's a trap!' Leo thought, kicking a ninja away.  
  
But there was something wrong with this attack. Each ninja waited to attack until the other had been defeated, as if they had been given numbers and were waiting their turn to try to defeat the turtle. Leo noticed, but fought none the less and began to guess who would jump him next.   
He was able to knock them all down - about 20 in all - but they were all soon up again and had made a tight circle around him. He stood ready, walking backwards in small circles so he was not attacked from behind.   
Suddenly, a small gap was made in the circle and a large man in silver armor stepped through, his face masked by a silver helmet.   
Shredder.   
He laughed evilly and passionately as Leo's eyes narrowed at him in recognition.   
  
"Well done, Leonardo!" he said, almost spitting it out.   
  
"You!" Leo spat in rage. "I should have known this was a trap!"   
  
Shredder shook his head, still laughing slightly.   
  
"You are wrong, Leonardo," he said. "This was no trap; I wanted to see if you were still able to fight as well as the last time I had seen you."   
Leo's muscles tightened; no matter what Shredder said, he still didn't believe him, and with good reason.   
  
"Why should I believe you?" Leo questioned, eyes still narrowed and body still prepared to attack should anything jump him.   
  
"Because I want your alliance," Shredder explained simply. "Do you think I would jeopardize an alliance with lies?"   
  
"Did you want me to answer that?" Leo replied smugly. A ninja jumped at him, but he was easily pushed aside. Shredder laughed and shook his head again.   
  
"You do know me well, don't you?"   
  
"Why do you want me to align with you?" Leo asked, ignoring Shredder's last remark. "And do you seriously believe that I would even consider aligning with you?"   
  
"Oh, you will Leonardo, I assure you," Shredder said.   
  
"I will never align with you!"   
  
Without a word, Shredder pulled something from inside his armor and threw it to the ground. A green gas began to seep through it at a rapid pace. Leo knew exactly what it was and tried to get away. It was too late, however, and the turtle soon found himself asleep on the cold cement ground of the abandoned subway.   
  
"Take him away," Shredder ordered the ninja's who had been quick enough to escape the poisonous gas. "And be gentle - we don't want him to be mad at us for hurting him while he was asleep."   
Two ninja's took Leo by the arms and carelessly began to drag him down the subway station, despite the fact that Shredder had just told them to be careful. A small, folded piece of paper slipped out un-noticed and fell face down onto the subway ground.  
  
"We'll see who aligns with who now, Leonardo," Shredder muttered confidently. "We'll see..."   
  
* * * *  
  
_Back in the turtle's sewer lair (the next morning) ..._  
  
Raphael aggressively shook Michelangelo awake, hoping to get some answer's from his brother.   
  
"W-wha...?" Michelangelo asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes slightly.   
  
"Mikey, wake up," Raph demanded. "Where's Leo?"   
Mikey blinked a couple of times before sitting up, still tired.   
  
"I donno," he replied. "Isn't he sleeping?"   
  
"I didn't see him there, no," Raph replied.   
  
"Ask Don, then," Mikey said, rolling back over to sleep. "Maybe he knows."   
Raph sighed and shook his head at Mikey before running into the main area where Don was up and already working on his computer gadgets.   
  
"Don! You seen Leo lately?"   
  
"Not sense last night," Don replied honestly, shaking his head slightly. "Why? Is he missing?"   
  
Raph didn't reply, but dashed towards Splinter as he made his way out of his own room.   
  
"Master Splinter!" he cried. "Please tell me you sent Leo some where last night!"   
  
Splinter frowned and shook his head.   
  
"I have not, my son," he replied. "Has he gone missing?"   
  
"I can't seem to find him!" Raph explained. "I didn't see him go to bed last night, either."   
  
"Perhaps he has gone creating mischief, as usual," Splinter suggested. "Do not worry about it until night fall. Then you can begin to search for him."   
Raph struggled not to punch the sewer walls at Splinter's response. Although, he probably had been right. Leo could take care of himself. 


	3. Chapter III

**Chapter III**  
  
Dizzily, Leonardo grasped his head. It was the second time within 24 hours he had received a headache, although he couldn't remember where this headache came from.   
He opened his eyes but was unable to focus properly. Suddenly, a face appeared not too far above his. While it was still blurred, he knew that it was a girl because they had long black hair that spilled over her shoulders. He closed his eyes again for a minuet, trying to get his vision to refocus as the girl gently placed a damp wash cloth over his forehead in attempt to wake him up.   
Leo's eyes snapped open as soon as he realized that he didn't know who this girl was or even where she came from, and he tried to sit up. His head began to throb harder than it had before and the wash cloth fell onto the bed before him. The girl jumped back in surprise as Leo tried to regain his vision.   
  
The walls surrounding him were red, and there were wooden posts supporting the ceiling above. Green plants grew here and there from painted pots, and Leo could see two windows on the opposite side of the room, both with red curtains blocking the sun from entering. The room was a fair size with almost nothing in it but the bed he was laying in.   
Leo looked around for a minuet, absorbing everything while his vision gradually began to come back to him. He noticed his blades resting against one of the wooden posts, unguarded and ready for him to take.   
The girl who had been sitting by him was now up and walking quickly for the door. Leo would have called for her to stay, but he didn't know who she was or why she was there in the first place and waited.   
  
Soon, a man dressed in white with black hair, some of it pulled into a half pony tail, entered the room. Leo, knowing who the man was, began to grow nervous without his weapons or what looked like an escape.   
The girl stood in the doorway for a moment before the man turned towards her and nodded at her, which had been her signal to shut the door and leave the two to themselves.   
Nervously, Leo backed away from the approaching man and eyed his blades. The man laughed.   
  
"Go ahead," he said. "Go for your blades."   
Leonardo made no move to retrieve his weapons. Instead, he threw his sheets off him and sat completely up, wishing to do nothing but leave.   
  
"What do you want from me?" he asked in a demanding tone, a tone Shredder usually wouldn't have tolerated.   
  
"Your alliance," Shredder answered.   
  
"Why me?" Leo questioned, again demanding. "Why not one of my brothers?"   
  
"As far as I can tell, you are the best. You are well trained and quick."   
  
"Don is smart," Leo said before catching himself; it had sounded as if he were trying to bring Shredder's focus on his brothers so he would be free to go.   
  
"All I ask is for you alliance," Shredder continued. "If you do not wish to align, then I will let you take your blades and go."   
  
Leo hesitated. He knew if he were to refuse, he would be able to leave - but how many foot ninjas be waiting for him?   
  
"In return, I offer you something very priceless," Shredder continued. Leo hesitated again before standing and walking towards his blades, surprised when Shredder didn't try to stop him.   
  
"No thank you," Leo said sternly, strapping his blades properly to his back. "I'm not going to be another foot ninja for you - I don't make deals with the enemy."   
  
He began to turn towards one of the windows, leaving his back towards Shredder.   
  
"Not even for a chance at normalcy?"   
  
Leo stopped.   
  
"Normalcy...?" he questioned, not bothering to turn around yet.   
  
"I am offering you the chance to become one of them," Shredder continued, temptingly. Leo said nothing. "Haven't you ever wanted to walk around outside - not just when it's dark - and mix with actual people?"   
  
Leo faltered. He imagined what it might be like, being able to go to clubs and stores and to the park and where ever else he wanted to go without having to disguise himself.   
  
"I don't..." he began, his voice hesitant and unsure.   
  
"And what makes us enemies?" Shredder continued quickly. "What have I personally done to you?"   
  
"You mean besides the countless foot attacks and trying to kill off me and my brothers?" Leo asked smartly.   
  
"All that would change with our alliance..." Shredder tempted.  
  
"No," Leo said again. "I don't think so."   
  
He was about to walk away when Shredder stopped him in his tracks once more.   
  
"You think you are on the good side, Leonardo," Shredder spat in a harsh tone. "You think you are fighting the evil. How do you know that your Master isn't capable of deceiving you?"   
  
"Master Splinter would never..."   
  
"How do you know for certain?"   
  
Leo was about to reply, but realized that he had nothing to say. He turned towards Shredder, curious and not as hesitant.   
  
"Tell me about my Master's deceivement," Leo said, folding his arms across his chest. "Tell me how you'll make me human, and _then_ I'll align with you."   
  
* * * *  
  
Night had fallen once more and Raphael had taken it upon himself to gather his brothers to search for Leonardo.   
The first place they looked was, ironically, the abandoned subway station.   
Raphael threw the manhole lid off and looked around in search of anything out of place or slightly unusual. When he saw nothing, he nodded down at Don and Mikey and climbed up, careful not to make any noise in case some one or some thing was hidden from sight and waiting for them.   
Don came up after Raph, shortly followed by Mikey.   
  
"So, what are we looking for?" Mikey asked, watching Raph and Don begin searching piles of trash and other things.  
  
"We're looking for Leo," Raph said. "You know, our brother?"   
  
"Well, yeah," Mikey said, already knowing that. "But if no one is here, then... I don't think Leo is, either."   
  
"We're looking for clues, Mikey," Don said, shifting through some things. "He might have been here."  
  
"Can't we just go and actually look for _him_?" Mikey asked.   
  
Raphael scooped down and picked up a piece of paper that had been lying face down on the ground. He flipped it over and began to read it.   
  
"Hey, guys," he said, holding the letter up for all to see. "I think I found something." 


	4. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV**   
  
Leo, despite everything Master Splinter had ever taught him and everything he knew, bought Shredder's story allowed himself to fall to the shadow of evil. The story had, in short, been full of what Shredder had claimed to be truths and Master Splinter's divine plan to conquer the world by using Leo and his brother's as his puppets. Leo had bought in only because Shredder had told the story with what sounded like accuracy and knowledge and truth. He hadn't faltered once during the story, and to Leo, that was truth enough.  
  
He was led by Shredder to a lab, using the darkness of night as a shield against. It was a fairly large lab and was filled, for some reason, with waiting foot soldiers. There was also a black man in a white lab coat and glasses, looking quite annoyed at something. Leo also knew this man - Baxter Stockman - and had decided that had been his permanent expression.   
  
"You have told him everything, then?" Baxter said, his arms folded across his chest. "He knows?"   
  
Shredder nodded and shoved Leo forward a little. He looked around at the foot soldiers, detecting tension in the way they had positioned themselves. He also detected a tension in himself, still a little nervous around them. His instincts flared as some one came from behind and began to remove the blades from his back and he whipped around, ready to fight. It had been Baxter, who was now looking more annoyed than before. Shredder, on the other hand, looked amused and laughed slightly.   
  
"Already at it, eh Leonardo?" he said.   
  
Leo blushed slightly and allowed Baxter to remove his blades completely as he was shown to a table that had been tilted upright. There was a place for his legs and arms, most likely to hold him down. It looked more like a device for torture rather than what they had intended on using it for.   
  
"Explain to me, _Master Shredder_," Leo began, forcing the title out. "How will this... thing make me human?"   
  
"It's actually quite complicated," Shredder began. "Baxter has developed a highly new technology that could change the world ..."   
  
"Enough with the gab," Leo said, folding his arms across his chest. "Just tell me how it works."   
  
Shredder lifted an eyebrow at him, but did nothing about the command and shook his head slightly. He looked at Baxter and nodded at him.   
  
"It rebuilds DNA," Baxter explained.   
  
"Rebuilds?" Leo questioned.   
  
"Yes," Baxter said, hesitating a bit. "After it destroys most of the DNA you already have."   
  
Before he could change his mind, Leo was forced back onto the table by three foot soldiers where they clamped his legs and arms down. Baxter lowered what looked like a glass tube lined with red lights so that Leo was staring straight into it before it was lowered over his body.   
  
"Get comfortable, Leonardo," Shredder said with a grin just as Baxter began to lower the device. "This is going to be very uncomfortable."   
  
* * * *   
"So... we've ruled out running away?"   
  
Raph tossed the paper angrily to the table in front of Don and began to pace around the room. Don sat on the couch, deep in thought, and Mikey had propped his feet up on the other side, a pizza in his hands and headphones over his ears.   
  
"We could," Don said. "Unless he wanted us to think some thing else happened to him?"   
  
"Doubtful," Raph said. He paused in his pacing to rip the headset off Mikey's ears. "Do you mind? We're trying to figure out where Leo is and you're sitting there like nothing's happened?"   
  
Mikey shrugged and turned his headphones off, placing them on the small table before picking up a slice of pizza.   
  
"I'm sure he's okay," he said confidently. "Leo's a big boy - he can take care of himself."   
  
* * * *   
  
Leo moaned to himself and tried to grasp his head, which was throbbing once more, but he found it slightly difficult to raise his arms.   
  
_These things never end_, he thought, trying not to move his pounding head. After trying to restrain his headache by keeping his eyes closed for a minuet more, Leo finally tried to move. His muscles were extremely tight and sore, as if he had just spent a day at the gym, and he struggled to get up. He was again in the bed he had found himself in the day before, and sun light was now pouring through the windows, which were now drawn open.   
However, these things were hardly noticed by him.   
Instead he stared down at his hands, which were no longer green and there were five human fingers. He looked at them for a while before he threw the white sheets off of his body and looked down at his human legs, covered by jeans. He also wore a black t-shirt with what looked like the foot soldier symbol printed on the front in red.   
  
Excited and unable to sit still, Leo jumped up only to fall forward slightly. He felt lighter without the shell on his back, and found it easier to move.   
He dashed to a small mirror, which hung beside the door, and checked his human appearance. His face was human and shaped handsomely and his hair was colored blue. The only thing that remained was his eye color, which was black.   
  
"Oh my god," he whispered in excitement. "Oh my god! Is this me?!"   
  
As if to answer his question, the door opened and in walked Shredder, a pleased grin on his face.   
  
"Do you like it, Leonardo?" he questioned.   
  
Leo whirled around and looked at him, a grin forming on his own face.   
  
"Shell yes!" he cried. "I can't believe..."   
  
He trailed off and glanced at himself in the mirror again. Shredder laughed heartily and placed his hand on Leo's shoulder.   
  
"I'm glad you like it, my son." 


	5. Chapter V

A.N. - Okay, I got some mixed reviews for the last chapter, but that's okay (each to their own or something like that). I didn't put in Shredder's "story" in for a reason; it creates mystery and you kind of have to think "woah - that must have been some damn good story if Leo believed it." And, since you don't know what the story was, I've left you hanging and you can only guess what Shredder could have made up. I know, Leo's the "perfect one" and it seems like Raph would be more likely to do something like this, but if you think really, _really_ hard, you might see it my way.  
Also keeping in mind that this _is_ **my** story and it's complete fiction (no matter how much we wanna believe there are mutated teenage turtles living in the New York sewer system). If you have any problems or questions, e-mail me. Oh, and thanks to all the complements!!  
Anyway, back to the story...   
  
**Chapter V**  
  
Don quietly walked up to the door that separated Master Splinter's room from the rest of their sewer lair and began to pace before attempting to knock. He quietly thought to himself while Raph impatiently folded his arms across his chest, ready to go up to the outside world and find his brother.   
Before Don could further think things through, Master Splinter slid his door open and stepped out.   
  
"Master Splinter!" Don exclaimed. "Master Splinter, Leo isn't back yet; we don't know where he is."   
  
Splinter nodded.  
  
"I am worried about Leonardo's whereabouts," he spoke. "I have been meditating over his absence and I can see nothing good."   
  
"So you're giving us permission to find him?" Raph questioned anxiously.   
  
"Wait until night fall," Splinter told him. "And then you may seek out your brother."   
  
* * * *   
  
Leonardo walked the streets of New York City with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked around curiously, taking in everything with his human eyes. He had seen the city before, but never in the day time among normal, human beings.   
His new master - Master Shredder - had given him half the day to wander about and explore as a human before he was to return and receive training.   
  
_"There may be an intrusion tonight,"_ Shredder had told him before he was permitted to leave. _"We will need your help if we want to win."_  
  
The word _"win"_ had been pounded into his head, and he knew he had enough strength and skill to fight off even his own brothers.   
The thought of this reminded him of his brothers and he sighed a little, kicking a small pebble to the streets.   
  
_Poor guys,_ he thought sadly. _They don't know they're on the wrong side._  
  
Leonardo forced himself to get rid of the thought as the smell of food hit his senses and he stepped into a small place that served pizza. Behind the counter was a young girl, his age maybe, with hair that had been dyed a turquoise color and blue eyes.   
The two of them made small talk as Leo ordered himself a slice of pizza with the few dollars he had found in his jeans pockets.   
  
_What a world,_ he thought to himself as he emerged from the pizza parlor a half hour later, _to be on the same level as humans._  
  
* * * *   
  
Night slowly fell and Raph, Mikey and Don waited anxiously to begin their search. It wouldn't have been so unusual if Raph had disappeared, and maybe not so much for Mikey, but Leo? There had to have been something wrong.   
  
The three turtles waited for the sun to go down before emerging from the sewer and onto the streets above.   
  
"Where first?" Raph questioned as Don knelt over and helped Mikey up.   
  
"Anywhere is a good place to look," Don replied, replacing the manhole lid.   
  
"That doesn't give us a very good starting place, Don," Raph said.   
  
"Then let's start with the enemy."   
  
The three looked between each other and nodded in agreement.   
  
* * * *   
  
Leonardo patiently awaited for the so-called "intruders" to come to him, hiding in the shadows. He felt for the blades on his back, reassuring himself that they were still there.   
The blades on his back were not the same as his old blades, and they were strapped tighter to his back so that they fit. His new blades were lighter with black handles, a red foot symbol on each. Despite the fact that they were lighter, they were no smaller than his previous blades.   
He was still getting used to his new weapons, as he had never used them before, but was still able to use them well and had confidence in what he was about to do.   
  
A sudden movement from the rooftop of the building beside his caused him to sink further into the shadows as he waited for whoever or whatever it was to leap towards his building. He couldn't make out the figures in the dark, but found himself in a crouched position, ready to attack.   
  
* * * *   
  
"I don't know about this," Mikey said, pausing in their quick dash for the enemy's residence. "Something doesn't feel right."   
  
"That's because Leo isn't here," Raph said, pausing. "Remember?"   
  
Mikey nodded and sighed slightly, catching his breath.   
  
"Yes, I remember," he retorted. "Do _you_ remember?"   
  
It was a bad way to start a fight, considering it meant absolutely nothing, but Raph stepped closer to Mikey ready to make a comment.   
  
"He's right," Don said, shattering all hope for a fight between Mikey and Raphael. "Something doesn't feel right." He paused and looked around for a moment. "Something's about to happen."   
  
"Does that mean we'll find Leo?" Mikey questioned.   
  
Don and Raphael frowned at him as he grinned.   
  
"Nothing's gonna happen if we don't get off this roof, here," Raph said finally. "Let's get moving."   
  
Don hesitated, but nodded in agreement. Without a word, the three began to move again and leaped to the next rooftop.   
  
* * * *   
  
Leo watched as the three rather large figures invaded his roof and narrowed his eyes. He felt for his blades and jumped from the shadows to block whomever was intruding on his new master's territory.


	6. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**  
  
"Something's not right," Don said as they ran, never pausing or faltering.   
  
"Wadda ya mean?" Raph questioned.   
  
"I'm not sure, but something defiantly not right."   
  
As if to confirm Don's feeling that something wasn't right, an attacker came jumping from the shadows and knocked Don off his feet. Mikey and Raph quickly stopped and whirled around, searching for their attacker.   
  
"Where'd he go?" Mikey questioned anxiously, squinting in the dark in search of the mystery man.   
His answer came when the shadowed figure emerged and kicked Mikey to the ground. Raph narrowed his eyes at the darkness, obvlious to where their mystery shadow had gone.   
  
"Come out and fight!" he invited. "Stop being such a coward and face me!"   
  
From the shadows stepped a human figure, the face still shaded from view. This human held two blades tightly, ready to fight, and wore a black t-shirt with the foot symbol printed across it in red.   
  
"If you leave, I'll go easy on you," a voice said, the grip on his blades loosening some what.   
  
"Likely story," Raph spat back.   
  
The figure sighed.   
  
"Have it your way."   
  
Before Raph could process the meaning, the figure knocked him off his feet.   
Don and Mikey leaped up, ready to protect themselves.   
  
"Jeez," Raph said, dizzily sitting up. "Who is this guy?"   
  
No one answered while he stood up and they began to circle around, looking for their attacker.   
  
"Where'd he go?" Mikey questioned.   
  
His answer came when moonlight caught the end of a blade that sank into Raph's lower abdomen. The wound wasn't large enough to kill him, but it was enough to knock him back to the ground. Don and Mikey instantly let their guard down to kneel by their brother.   
  
"Raph!" Don cried as what sounded like another blade began to come down.   
  
The blade and the attacker faltered.   
  
"Raph?" the shadow questioned almost silently.   
  
Don glanced up as the figure stepped into view, dark eyes lowered towards Raph, who was groaning in pain. The human had blue hair and held a blade in each hand, a confused look across his face.   
The "Shadow" knelt down and glanced over Raph. Don watched with caution, uncertain of his sincerity. He placed his blades on his back and stood forcefully, spinning and disappearing back into the shadow at a run.   
  
"Yeah!" Mikey cried victoriously, jumping up with glee. "Who's your daddy?!"   
  
"Mikey, I don't think this was a very victorious battle," Don explained, looking up at a now dancing Mikey. "Even if he gave up, Raph is still injured."   
  
"Oh. Yeah."   
  
"Why'd he run off?" Raph questioned, trying to sit up painlessly.   
  
"I donno," Don admitted in a half pondering voice as he stood, glancing off in the darkness where the Shadow had run off towards. "That was strange."   
  
"Can we figure this out later?" Raph questioned with a grunt. "I need to get back to the sewer."   
  
Don nodded, his mind turning with questions and possible explanations. Mikey and Don helped Raph to his feet and allowed him to lean on them for support as the made their way back towards their sewer lair.   
  
* * * * *   
  
Leonoardo ran through the darkness until he was sure he was alone and completely out of sight. He found a spot and sat down, propping himself up on the wall behind him.   
What he had seen had scared him, and it had also pained him. To see his brother lying on the ground, bleeding from a wound he had created was un-nerving to him and he was confused as to what he could have done or should do: fight for Shredder or fight with his brothers?   
Fighting for Shredder meant battles against his brothers, yet - to his knowledge - fighting with his brothers meant fighting what was good.   
  
_Maybe Shredder is wrong_, Leo thought hopefully before shaking his head.   
No. He had chosen this side on his own, without the help of his brothers, and he would stay with it. So far he had gotten a chance to be a normal teenager, not some mutant that couldn't risk being seen, and he had gotten nothing but respect from Shredder.   
  
_Master Shredder_, Leo reminded himself with a small shake of the head. _I can't think evil about him... anymore._  
  
Leo sighed and looked around to make sure no one had followed him. He slowly rose to his feet, straightened out his t-shirt, and ran back into the darkness of the shadow. 


	7. Chapter VII

AN - sorry about the delay on the update. School sucks and it keeps me a little busy... among other things... :D  
  
**Chapter VII**  
  
"I waited, Master Shredder, but no one came."   
He watched as the man - his master - narrowed his eyes and took a drink of a mysterious substance from the glass before him.   
  
"No?" he questioned suspiciously. Leonardo shook his head, sticking to his lie.   
  
"No one."   
  
"I expected different, Leonardo," Shredder said. "Are you sure?"   
Leo nodded.   
  
"Very well," Shredder said. "You may leave."   
Leo stood and slowly exited the room he had been led to, ignoring the Foot soldiers that stood around him. He knew he had lied, but he also knew that if he hadn't something much worse would have come from it.   
  
_Odd_, he thought to himself as he rubbed his five fingers through the hair on his head. _I can lie to Master Shredder, but Splinter I could never lie to..._  
He shook the feeling as he stepped outside into the streets of New York where the sun was slowly setting.   
  
* * * *   
  
_"Have you found anything, my sons?" Master Splinter had asked once they had returned with a wounded Raph. "Any news of Leonardo?"   
  
"We met one of Shredder's minions," Donnie replied, letting Raph lean on him. "A new one - I've never seen him before."   
  
"We did see him then, either," Raph said with a grunt. "It was like he was part of the dang shadow."   
  
"I think we should go back tomorrow night," Don voiced. "I want to explore the area of our attack... there was something wrong with the way The Shadow reacted."   
  
"An odd reaction?" Splinter questioned, curious. "What happened?"   
  
"He ran," Mikey replied. "He knew he couldn't win against us."   
  
"That wasn't it, Mikey," Don said. Raph groaned from beside him, holding his bleeding wound.   
  
"Not that I'm complaining," Raph moaned, "but can we talk about this after I lie down or something?"   
  
_Don glanced around the corner, remembering what had happened once he and his brother's had returned home.   
  
"Um, I know we had a little fight up there," Mikey said, pointing upward at the rooftop above. "But why do we have to go IN?"   
  
"Quit complaining, Mikey," Raph said.   
  
"I wasn't!" Mikey protested. "I was just curious..."   
  
"Sssh!" Don commanded suddenly, frowning at his arguing brothers. The three of them silently made their way to the back entrance of the tall building their fight had taken place on only the night before. Don tried the door, but it was locked tightly by an electronic device inside. He reached for the brown duffel bag that had been slung around his shoulders and began to dig through it.   
  
"Lemme get this one," Raph said with a grin, taking out his weapons. Don frowned.   
  
"Raph, wait! You could set off an alarm or... " he began, but his brother had already stuck his dagger between the two doors. A buzz came about the door as a few wires sparked and the electrical system began to malfunction. The turtles stood back and watched as the doors came open once the electric lock failed completely.   
  
"Set off what alarm?" Raph said proudly, full of himself. Don sighed as the three quietly slipped into the darkened building, curiously wandering the empty, tiled halls.   
  
"Again I have to ask," Mikey said, looking about the nothingness the building seemed to contain. "Why IN?"   
  
"There had to be some reason the Shadow attacked us here," Don explained in a hushed voice. "I mean, how many people wait on random rooftops for some one to pick a fight with. Plus, he did tell us to leave."   
  
"Yeah," Raph said in half agreement. "But maybe he is just some psycho creep that hangs out on random rooftops and waits to attack people - pretends he has some sort of power."   
  
"Shut up, Raph," Mikey said. Raph glared at him.   
  
"I'll shut you up..."   
  
"Guys, knock it off," Don commanded, rolling his eyes. "Start looking through doors - if the door isn't locked, there's probably nothing there worth looking for."   
  
"And what if it is?" Mikey questioned. Don and Raph looked at him with a questioning, "are you kidding?" look before looking at each other and shaking their heads.   
  
Don went to one door and rattled the handle: it was locked. He grinned to himself as he pulled some tools out from his duffel bag and began to pick the lock. Raph stood behind him, watching carefully and hopefully. Mikey stood at the opposite end of the hall, opening and closing which ever doors he could find.   
  
"Is it me," he began, not bothering to hush his voice, "or did that dude's voice sound really familiar?"   
  
"Sssh!" Raph commanded. "Donnie's workin' here!"   
As soon as the words had escaped Raph's mouth, the door squeaked open and Don smiled at himself before stuffing the tools back into his bag and quietly shuffling inside. Raph followed after Don, who was followed shortly by a whining Mikey. It was pitch black inside and it took them a few minuets of fumbling around in the dark in search of a light switch.   
Finally, Don found the appropriate switch and the lights flickered on, florescent light beating down in nearly every corner of the large room. The three of them looked around in wonder and amazement, eyeing the gadgets and equipment that lay around. In the center of the room was lye a table that had been propped up in a diagonal fashion while what looked like an electrical gadget - a laser perhaps - pointed directly at it. The thing about this "laser," Don found, was that while it seemed electrical, it also seemed to be some how biologically engineered.   
  
"What the shell is this junk?" Raph questioned, looking around in wonder.   
  
"I... I don't know," Donnie admitted, also quite amazed at their discovery. "But I'll bet you anything this has something to do with the Shadow."   
  
"How's it work?" Mikey questioned, anxious to get to the bottom of the mystery they had stumbled upon. He dashed towards the large "laser" and laid himself down on the table.   
  
"You can't kill me with your silly lasers, number three!!" he yelled in a horribly mangled British accent, pretending to be James Bond.   
  
"Mikey, settle down would you?" Raph asked, although it really wasn't much of a question as much as it was a demand. Mikey shut up for a moment to glare at Raph.  
  
"You're no fun," he pointed out. Donnie watched as the bickering began and sighed, deciding to explore the mysterious "laser" they had found. He looked it over before trying a few buttons, attempting to figure out the machine's purpose. Forgetting fully that Mikey was still on the table, Don flipped a couple of buttons and the machine began to warm up before a greenish light shot straight from the machine and in Mikey's direction.   
Don jumped back in surprise, following the light's direction before realizing where it had hit. He glanced at Mikey's face, who's taunting expression had melted into a mix of shock and pain.   
  
"Don!" Raph screamed. "What the shell did you do?!"   
  
"I don't know!" Donnie cried helplessly as he listened to Mikey's sudden screams. "I forgot he was even there!"   
Neither of them said anything as Mikey twitched slightly, unable to fully move from pain. They watched for a moment before Raph turned to Don.   
  
"You think it hurts?" he questioned, more rhetorically than anything.   
  
"Oh my..." Don muttered under his breath, watching as Mikey's shell began to disappear and his skin turn a light brown, human color - tan, not green. "What the shell..."   
A sudden bright light flashed, causing Raph and Donnie to shield their eyes, turning away so they didn't look directly into it. When the light had died down and all there was left was the dying green light from the machine and the lights from above.   
A figure from the table groaned faintly before collapsing to the floor. But it wasn't Mikey's figure: this figure was a person with bleach blond hair and an orange t-shirt, complete with tennis shoes and kaki pants.   
  
"Who's that?" Raph questioned as if Donnie had all the answers in the world.   
  
"I think that's Mikey," he explained, beginning to walk towards the collapsed man.   
  
"Mikey?!" Raph repeated. "But... that's not a turtle!"   
  
"No," Don agreed. "No it's not." 


	8. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII **  
  
Mikey's eyes fluttered open slowly and painfully as he realized that his head hurt worse than anything. He blinked a couple of times before attempting to sit up.   
  
"Careful now," a familiar voice said as a pair of hands grabbed hold of his shoulders before he could fall back to the floor. "You don't wanna hit your head again."   
Mikey nodded as he sat up and grabbed his spinning head, propping himself up on something cold and slightly sharp. He looked around at who had helped him up; a green figure masked in red.   
  
"Raph?" he questioned dizzily. "Is that you?"   
  
"Yeah," he replied. "You took a fun little ride on that machine there."   
  
"What happened?" Mike asked. It was then that he noticed that things were slightly out of proportion. He looked at his legs as his eyes grew wider, seeing the pants and sneakers. He glanced at his hands - tanned with five fingers on each.   
  
"Holy ninja!" he cried, almost in an excited tone. "What happened?!"   
  
"I think you're... ya know... a person now," Don explained, hopping down from the giant machine's base to look at Mikey. Mikey looked around at his two brothers, grinning, before trying to scramble up.   
  
"Where's a mirror?" he asked excitedly. "I need to see myself! Am I still pretty?"   
Raph rolled his eyes and glanced at Don for some answers.   
  
"Seriously," he said. "What the shell?"   
  
"It's insanely complicated," Don said. "Even if I tried to explain it to you, your mind would explode with confusion."   
  
"Literally?"   
  
"Of course not."   
  
"Right. Give it to me straight, then," Raph requested.   
  
"Simply, the machine is... it's brilliant. It destroys DNA and re-builds it... which would explain how painful it would have been for Mikey. This machine took out every turtle DNA Mikey had while reconstructing new "human" into his existing DNA."   
  
"Say what now?" Mikey asked, retuning to the conversation after unsuccessfully finding a mirror.   
  
"Your DNA has changed to match a human's DNA," Don tried. Mikey paused in his excitement to think about what his brother had just told him. Donnie sighed and looked at Raph who just shook his head.   
  
"The machine can turn animals into humans," Don said again. "You're not a turtle."   
  
"Humm... I don't know how I should feel about that."   
  
"I do," Raph said. "I wanna be a human!"   
Don sighed and looked between the human Mikey and the turtle Raph.   
  
"So do I..." he admitted in a low voice. Raph grinned and ran to the table Mikey had previously sat at.   
  
"Get this baby started!" he cried. Donnie stepped up to the machine and looked at Raph.   
  
"Hold on," he warned before flipping the switch.   
  
* * * *   
  
Leo wandered the streets alone, using the darkness to shield him from curious eyes. It was night and while he didn't need to hide from misunderstanding humans any longer, he still felt the need to hide himself away. It had been after he was transformed into a human that he was comfortable in his turtle form; safe and tucked away in the sewers where no one could find him.   
He sighed to himself as he kicked at the ground and stuffed his hands into his pockets, thinking to himself.   
  
_Wonder if Master Shredder knows where I am?_ was the first question that popped into his head. _Maybe I should go back..._  
And then the rebellious side - a normal teenage reaction - took hold of him and he shook his head, all the while thinking in profanity against returning to his master. He was about to curse out loud when a flash of something caught his eye and he stopped, sinking further into the shadow's as he watched a pair of doors swing shut after a figure disappeared inside. Quickly he glanced up, recognizing the building at once: it was the same building Baxter's lab was contained in. He frowned as he walked towards the doors, contemplating weather or not he should follow. He paused before his hands could reach the door and shook his head, laughing at himself.   
  
"Hah - no," he said out loud, backing away. "If Master Shredder needs me, than I'll help. Otherwise, he can deal with intruders on his own."   
  
* * * *   
  
"For the love of..." Don muttered, grabbing hold of his head. He groaned and blindly sat up with the help of Mikey and Raph.   
  
"Some ride, huah?" Raph questioned, and Donnie could tell he was grinning. He nodded anyway and rolled his shoulders back.   
  
"I feel... lighter," he explained slowly, not wanting to open his eyes.   
  
"That's the cause of no shell," Raph explained. Donnie nodded.   
  
"Where's Mike?"   
  
"Hopping around like the idiot he is," Raph said, rolling his eyes. "Come on - open your eyes. You can't see anything with 'em closed all the time."   
Donnie groaned but carefully allowed his eyelids to flutter open, his eyes stinging in the sudden burst of light. It took him a moment to adjust them as he carefully looked around at his surroundings. Nothing had changed, except instead of a green, giant turtle in a red mask, there stood beside him a teenage boy with flaming red hair that looked a bit orange at the tips as if it were imitating fire. He wore plain white t-shirt under a thin leather jacket as well as jeans that were torn in the knees and what looked like boots on his feet.   
Mikey stopped in front of Raph with a wide grin spread across his face as he held his thumbs out.   
  
"Ehhh!" he yelled, a good impression of The Fonz from the old TV show Happy Days.   
  
"I warned you, Mikey!" Raph screamed, chasing after his "prep" of a brother. "I told you to NEVER do that in front of me!"   
  
"The Fonz is a lover, not a hater!" Mikey taunted as he ran from Raph's clutch. Donnie sighed as he sat up, desperately trying to rid himself of his headache.   
  
* * * *   
  
"But you have seen it!" Baxter said in a pleading tone, standing inferior to the large man who walked before him. "Master Shredder has seen it with his own eyes - we used it on one of those turtles!"   
  
"Yes, I've seen it," the man said, not bothering to look at Baxter as he saw him unworthy. "But I have not seen it work. Master Shredder wishes to know if it is still in good working condition or not."   
  
"I assure you that it is."   
The man grabbed the scientist by the throat and threw him against the wall, his face inches from the beast of a man.   
  
"Prove it."   
He dropped Baxter to the floor and continued to walk. Baxter quickly picked himself up and ran after the giant, scheming of a way he could prove that his machine still worked.   
  
* * * *   
  
"As much as I'd like to stay here and watch you two fight," Don said as he slowly stood. "This room was locked for a reason. We have to get out of here before somebody finds us."   
As the words left his mouth, the doors swung open. Mikey stopped in his tracks as did Raph as they all looked up at the doors. Mikey decided to speak, his voice trembling slightly.   
  
"_Too late_!!" 


	9. Chapter IX

AN: Agh!! I'm soooooo sorry I haven't reviewed in so fu¢k!ng long, but there were exams to study for and a job and...  
That's all BS. I didn't study for any of my exams (well, French a little bit) and I just got a job TODAY (and I don't even work until Thursday). I HAVE been working on some different stories for a group I write on. They're all Good Charlotte fics (as I dodge flying derbies that are thrown at me)... if you cared. But that's what I've been doing. Mostly.   
I'm still sorry all the same and I hope you can forgive me. Summers are crazy.   
Oh, btw, The Masked Muncher (little note for ya here, masky) - "mosh for jesus" isn't a religious thing. It's a Dillinger Four song (not D4 from Sweden [I've actually never heard them] but Dillinger Four from Minneapolis).   
  
**Chapter IX**   
  
For a moment, no one said anything as both Hun and Baxter entered the lab to see three strangers - three teenage boys - standing completely still as they watched the two in return. The all too familiar flare in Hun's eyes began to show and the three brothers slowly began to back away.   
  
"I think we've spent too much time in here," Don muttered to Raphael, not quite as interested in seeing his human self as he had been before.   
  
"Who are you?" Baxter demanded. "What do you want? Who sent you?"   
  
"Time to split!" Raph yelled out. Everyone nodded in agreement and searched for an alternative exit - an exit that didn't require moving past Hun. They saw none and went for their weapons, that were lying on the floor.   
Don picked up his staff as Hun made a grab for it himself. Don glanced up at him for a moment, again noticing how tall and strong this so-called "man" was. He backed up a little, nearly backing into a nervous and slightly jumpy Michelangelo.   
  
Hun advanced on the three as they scattered, leaping out of the giant's way and nearly knocking over the precious DNA machine they had used previously that night.   
  
"Hun!" Baxter cried from the door. "Be careful! Don't wreck my machine!"   
  
Hun glared at the man for a moment.   
  
"You lock the door," Hun ordered. "I'll take care of these punks. Make sure none of them get out."   
  
Mikey glanced at Raph who in turn glanced at Don.   
  
"What's the plan?" Raph questioned. Don shrugged.  
  
"Leo's always the one making the plans - not me."   
  
"Think of something, then!" Mikey pleaded, noticing Hun coming closer. "Anything!"   
  
Don thought, but also realizing how much closer Hun had gotten, panicked.   
  
"Run!!" he cried, leaping out of the way. Hun chased him up and over the machine while Baxter stood on the sides, anxious over the fighting so close to his work.   
  
"You got a better plan than "run"?" Raph asked, running beside his brothers. Don glanced over at Baxter.   
  
"Mikey, you distract Baxter and try to get the door open," Don ordered finally. "Raph, you and I can take Hun."   
  
"I'm on it," Mikey cried, veering off to the left and back tracking so that he met up with Baxter at the door. Don and Raph stopped suddenly in their tracks and whirled around, ready to fight Hun.   
  
* * * *   
  
Leo silently stepped into the dark hall, making sure no one had seen him enter. He had watched as Baxter and Hun found their way into the building and was curious as to where they were going. Besides, he had seen the three other figures sneak inside previously and was interested in seeing what would happen if the two groups found each other.   
The hall left no door open or any sign as to where Baxter or Hun could have gone to. He wandered cautiously, hoping he wouldn't run in to either of them.   
He paused when he noticed light flooding through the crack beneath one of the doors.   
  
_That's Baxter's lab,_ Leo thought. _That's where his machine is. I wonder..._  
  
His thought's paused as he heard what sounded like a crash and a cry of loss from a familiar voice.   
  
"That's it," Leo said to himself. "I'm checking that out."   
  
* * * *  
  
"Keep the door closed!!" Hun screamed at Baxter as he noticed it open slightly. Mikey, who was still trying desperately to distract the scientist, frowned slightly and began to turn when he felt the back of some one's blade hit his side and he fell down, bruised but not completely injured.   
He looked up to see the blue haired boy in the black t-shirt - the Shadow. The Shadow towered over him, glaring at him in a warning sort of way. Mikey, slightly scared, began to back himself into the wall.   
  
"Oh, thank god," Baxter cried. "Look at what they've done to my lab!"   
  
The Shadow took his eyes off of Mikey and glanced around the room. The machine - the one they had used to transform themselves into humans - had been tipped over as Hun, Don and Raph continued to struggle for victory around the lab, not paying attention to what they destroyed.   
Mikey scrambled to his feet and raced for his nunchucks, but was halted by the Shadow, who knocked him against the wall. He groaned, not bothering to get up to further battle with the Shadow.   
Don, who had seen this from the corner of his eye, paused to look the Shadow over, trying to spot his weakness. Raph also stopped, looking the Shadow over.   
  
"Hey!" Raph cried. "That's the guy..."   
  
He was cut off when Hun caught up with them and had tackled him to the floor. Don was able to jump away in time and he continued to stare the Shadow down.   
  
"Leave," the Shadow instructed in the same cold, warning voice he had used just the previous night.   
  
"That's what we were trying to do," Don tried to explain, cautiously walking towards the Shadow, who tensioned up with every step Don took in his direction. He could hear Raph and Hun behind him, still fighting it out. Mikey sat on the floor behind the Shadow, and Baxter silently mourned the loss of his precious things.   
  
"Hun tried to attack me and my brothers - we didn't want to start anything."   
  
"What are you doing here?" the Shadow questioned. "This is not your territory. Who sent you?"   
  
"No one sent us," Don explained. "We were looking for our brother..."   
  
"Your brother?" the Shadow repeated, lightening up a little.   
  
"Yeah," Don replied, slightly hesitant. "He... disappeared a couple of days ago."   
  
The Shadow bit his bottom lip and looked at the ground, lost in thought.   
  
"No one is here," he said quickly and suddenly. "Who ever you're looking for isn't here."  
  
He moved quickly to the door after seeing Raph dodge Hun and knocked him into the fallen machine.   
  
"Go," he said, half ordering Don and his brothers. "Now."   
  
Mikey scrambled to his feet and Raph bounded towards the door. Don walked slowly past the Shadow, locking eyes with him.   
  
_This isn't over_, Don thought, as if the Shadow could read minds. _You're hiding something..._


End file.
